Jazz am Kaisersteg mit MULLET+ and Egg Shaped Orbit

In English, "mullet" is the classic VoKuHiLa haircut and it is also a fish common in European waters (mullet, for the inquisitive). As a musical trio, "Mullet" is both uniquely stylish like the haircut and free-moving like the fish in the open sea. The shimmer of the vibraphone, the drift of the trombone and the unpredictability of the woodwind follow no definition. When the trio grows into a plus version by adding a rhythm section, both the sound palette and the musical range expand. In the summer of 2020, the expanded group interpreted the expansive compositions of Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg at the Kaisersteg, and this year the same line-up returns to the stage to reinterpret some of Mengelberg's works and explore new musical waters, including works by early avant-garde pianist Herbie Nichols and South African avant-garde flutist and saxophonist Sean Bergin. 

A new band, a new experience. With the unusual line-up of vibraphone, guitar and saxophone, the possibilities for new musical discoveries are enormous. Almut Schlichting is known for adding a deep groove to the trio of the Insomnia Brass Band with her resonant baritone saxophone, while Keisuke Matsumo's effect-laden guitar playing mixes sound textures with rocking improvisational skills and Els Vandeweyer's playing techniques that go beyond "normal" give her expressive vibraphone sound an unusual percussive touch. Together, the trio draws inspiration from the "egg-shaped orbit", a shape that appears in all sciences, including astronomy, mathematics and music theory. Out of a swirling chaos, they seek stable, pulsating structures of unusual rhythms and melodies.